This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
For many decades, engines have employed an oil-based lubrication system. Traditional lubrication systems provide fresh oil, within a predetermined temperature range and appropriate pressure, to each part of the engine. The oil is typically pumped from an oil sump through an oil filter, where it is strained or otherwise filtered for contaminants, and is often routed to the main bearings, along passages formed in the crankshaft and near connecting rods and along piston-cylinder regions. The piston-pin and cylinder walls received lubrication oil being dispersed by splash from the rotating crankshaft. Each camshaft bearing is fed by the main supply passage from a branch or tributary. During pumping, the oil cools and lubricates the engine and carries the contaminants to the oil filter and is cooled by the oil cooler or other cooling system, where the heat is transferred to the surrounding air.
As can be appreciated, monitoring of the engine oil and lubrication system is vital to reliable operation of the engine. In the event that lubrication oil pressure is lost, the engine can suffer from reduced and/or minimal oil flow that can prevent adequate cooling and lubrication of the engine. Similarly, in the event that a failure occurs in the lubrication system, such as due to a clogged oil filter, oil pump failure, or obstruction, it is important that detection of the failure is quick and reliable to permit mitigating actions to avoid permanent damage to the engine or sub component systems.
Although instrumentation is likely to provide a reliable and capable response system to such failures, it can be difficult to instrument an existing engine. To obtain access to the lubrication system for temperature, pressure, or other monitoring, one must be able to provide sensors in operational proximity to the lubrication system. In some cases, this requires a sensor to be placed in the oil stream or pathway. However, modern engines are not easily modified to accommodate such sensors. Moreover, redesigning engines to accommodate such sensors can results in substantial cost increases.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the relevant art to provide a system for permitting the monitoring of the lubrication system of the engine. Furthermore, there exists a need in the relevant art to provide a solution to permit modification of an existing engine to provide enhanced lubrication system monitoring. Still further, there exists a need in the relevant art to provide an adapter and/or canister solution to permit quick and convenient addition of sensor instruments to oil filters and/or canisters. Finally, there exists a need in the relevant art to provide a solution for providing sensor monitoring of the lubrication system of an engine that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.